So yeah how old do you think someone should be before being able to throw a Slider? I’m 15 and haven’t had any problems in terms of arm health. I heard 16 is a good age, I will turn 15 in October and it’s a good pitch for me. I want to and I like throwing my Slider a lot mainly because my Curveball isn’t working too well right now and my Slider is working better. Thoughts?

15 would probably be a good age to start throwing a slider, especially if it works better than your curve ball. i will be turning 16 in January and i throw a nasty curve ball but sometimes my elbow will have sharp pains which go away after a while. ii didn’t have these elbow pains until i threw curves so maybe it’s better if you just stuck with the slider.

My growth plates closed in eighth grade, while some peoples don’t until senior year… Or even later for some. I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong) this is the major factor in if your arm is ready for a slider.

If it feels fine to throw it, than throw it. If it hurts, don’t. Just make sure you throw it properly - otherwise it’l come back and bite you.

Dr. James Andrews found that curveballs, when thrown PROPERLY, put less stress on the arm than fastballs. I’m not sure if they tested the slider, but that goes to show how the stigma against early breaking balls may not be very well substantiated.